Method of making structures



June 26, 1934.

N. GARRETT l METHOD OF MAKING STRUCTURES Filed Sept. 5, 1931 `PatentedJune 26, 1934 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

rlhis invention relates to methods of making reinforced cementitiousstructures and more especially to methods of making these characterizedby spaced reinforced oementitious slabs joined together at spacedintervals by slab connecting members. Y

The subject matter of this invention has particular reference to thetypes of inventions described and claimed in my co-pending applicationsSerial Nos. 155,699, iiled December 18, 1926; 257,357, filed February27, 1928; 561,392, 561,394 and 561,395, filed September 5, 1931; and566,958, 566,959, 566,960, 566,961 and 566,963, filed October 5, 1931.

A purpose of my invention is to provide a method for making structuresof relatively thin layers of iireproof materials thoroughly reinforcedand webbed together to form structures which are very light and yetsubstantial and possess sufficient elasticity and yieldability tosuccessfully resist earthquake shocks.

An object of my invention is to provide a method for building structurescharacterized by spaced, relatively thin, cementitious slabs and inwhich the conventional frame members such as studs, beams, and joistsare eliminated by the use of light transversely extending slabconnecting members arranged at horizontally spaced intervals to providesuperimposed groups thereof integrally joining and bracing the slabstogether.

Other objects of my invention are: to provide a method of buildingfloors, Walls and roofs by plastering methods; to provide a method bywhich the apparatus and materials'are easily settogether with a minimumof tedious operations, such as tying or nailing elements together, andso that the forms may be easily removed; to provide a method that iseasily used on irregular ground; and to provide a method of buildingwalls adapted to form the foundation.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a plan View of assembled apparatus for buildinga wall and a portion of a wall formed thereon;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of a completed wall;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of a slab connectf ing member;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the wallA on line 5--5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the apparatus and wallformed thereon at a gap in the form panels;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary perspective of a form panel and adjoiningapparatus.

Referring to the drawing, vertical pipes 1 are driven in the ground at adefinite distance from a predetermined position of a wall. Pipes 2 areprovided extending along one side of the predetermined wall position andare supported on pipes 1 by clamps 3. Rods 4 are held in place to extendtransversely of the area to be occupied by the wall by clamps 5 on pipes2. Clamps 5 are spaced to provide the rods 4 arranged in vertical rowsat horizontallyl spaced intervals so that the horizontal space betweenthe Vrods is the Width of a form panel 6. clamps and rods erected asdescribed form the alining system.

Reinforcing 7 is placed over and supported by rods 4. Backing isprovided behind reinforc- The pipes,

ing 7 by placing panels 6 between vertical rows of rods 4 and pressingthem against the reinforcing 7, thereby forcing the same tightly againstkclamps 5. Pins 8 are placed through holes in rods 4 and hold the panelsagainst the reinforcing '7.

If just a single slab is to be erected, cementitious material isplastered over the reinforcing 7 and against the form panels. After thecementitious material has vhardened the pins 8 are removed, the rods 4are released in clamps 5 and withdrawn, and the form panels and aliningsystem are removed.

If it is a double wall that is to be built, instead of performing theplastering operations at this time, pins 9 are placed in holes of rods 4which are suitably spaced from those used for pins 8 so that pins 9engage the backs of a second row4 of panels to space and aline the sameas desired with respect to the first erected row of panels. Reinforcing10 is supported on the ends of the rods k4 and held flat against theform faces by strips 11. Each of these strips is narrow so as to form aminimum of obstruction to the plaster'- ing operation but is `wideenough to include a hole to receive a rod 4. Each of these strips 11 isheld in place by a pin 12 passing through a hole in rod 4. These stripsare inclined so as not to obstruct the passage ofY material between thegaps of adjacent form panels while holding a vertical width ofreinforcing at against the forms. Both rows of form panels may be set upprior to the erection of the reinforcing and then the reinforcing may bearranged over both sides of the form.

It is intended that instead of pipes 1 supported as shown, any suitableupright members may be used and supported by any method desired. VVPipesrer.

1 or other suitable members are easily set up on the roughest of ground.The rest of the apparatus for supporting the form panels is supported onpipes l and is therefore erected easily regardless of the roughness ofthe ground. Each individual panel is slidably held at its vertical edgesso as to be vertically independent of the rest of the apparatus andadapted to rest directly on the ground.

To extend the formwork to a height greater than the length of individualpanels the panels are placed on top of each other and held in Verticalalinement in the same manner as the panels on the ground.

A slab connecting member, hereinafter referred to as a tie 14, is formedfrom sheet metalstrips into a shape providing a curved cross section toprovide rigidity. Tie 14 has deformed ends and` is shown engaging aportion of reinforcing in Fig.V 4.

After the reinforcing is in place over the panels, and before thecementitious material is applied, the ties 14 are inserted throughopenings of the reinforcing into the position between the form panelsillustrated in Fig. 6. Each tie 14 is supported at its ends byengagement with reinforc ing`7 and 10. Ties 14 are placed bothhorizontally and inclined, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 5,'to providea web-like structure to coact with wall slabs in providing a walladapted to act as a series of vertical trusses. y Y Reinforcing 7 and 10is preferably a foraminous sheet material, such as wire mesh or expandedmetal of a type adaptedY to reinforce layers of plastered material.

After the slab connecting members and layers of wire mesh are in place,cementitious material is plastered over the form faces to embed thereinforcing 7v and 10. The cementitious material is vforced into therecesses formed by the beveled faces 16 of adjoining panels so as tosecurely embed the ends of the ties. The shape of faces 16 and the spacebetween adjoining panels forms a ridge that is not so large as to slumpwhen using cement mortar of average stiffness.

The Vertical ridges formed on the backs of the slabs provide sufficientbracing for the slabs so that a wall may be made without the use of theslab connecting members. Such a wall is more sound proof and to bedesired for some cases where the added strength derived by bracing theslabs together is not necessary.

The nature of the alining system is such that the scratch coat may becompleted past the pipe 2 andthe clamps 5 at a single application ofcementitious material. As soon as the cementitious material has set pins12 and strips 11 are removed.

The panels are left in place until the plastered material has obtainedsufficient strength for .the wall to stand alone. Rods 4 are thenreleased in clamps 5 and rotated to drop pins 8 and 9. Ilhis releasesthe panels so that they are free to move away from thewall slabs. Thepanels are then withdrawn from between the wall slabs.

Outwardly flaring portions of the wall slabs are formed in contact withthe ground. After the forms are removed, cementitious material is pouredbetween the slabs to form a transverse portion of cementitious materialintegrally joining the slabs and closing the space between the slabs atthe ground. If desired to form a solid wal1,'the space between the slabsis filled with cementitious material. v

The rod 4 is provided with holes at suitable intervals so that the formpanels may be held the desired distance apart to form a wall of anydesired thickness. A wall of any height or length may be made bydiscontinuing the plastering operation where desired.

To build a floor according to this invention the apparatus is set up ina horizontal position instead of in a vertical position' as illustratedfor the walls. The apparatus is preferably set so that the reinforcing 7is on the under side. In order to facilitate the formation of the slabon the under side of the forms, it is preferable that reinforcing 7 bean expanded metal or some other type of reinforcing especially adaptedto hold the cementitious material from falling. When this structure isused as a floor of a second story, the under slab forms the ceiling ofthe first story; and when this structure is used to provide the ceilingof the upper story, the upper slab may be inclined to serve as the roofslab. 'i Y Many important features of this invention are retained in avariational form of the invention wherein a light and inexpensivebackingv is provided behind the foraminous materials to take the placeof removable form panels and to be left in place.

The slabs are thin enough to be sufliciently yieldable to coact with thesystems of webbing to provide a resilience to impact loadings. Theseslabs do not cause as large dead load stresses in building as thickerwalls do. Comparatively low stresses are developed during an earthquakeon account of their relatively small inertia. Such slabs require bracingsuch as is afforded by the arrangement of slab connecting members hereindescribed and are herein referredY to as relatively thin slabs. v

This construction differs from conventional construction in that,instead of first erecting permaf nent structural stress bearing framemembers and later covering the framey members with plastered slabs, thestructure is formed progressively, tying the slabs together as they areplastered, and causing the slabs and the slab connecting members to forma structure that takes the place of the conventional type ofconstruction.

The slab connecting members effect sufficient bracing of the slabs sothat a substantial portion of the compressive strength of the slabmaterial l isdeveloped before -failure from compressive stresses.

The type of vertical systems of webbing usedv in my invention consistsof spaced apart and su-v perimposed slab connecting members. This is adistinction from the priorpart in which it was considered necessary toinclude between plastered slabs in building wall construction some typeof` pillars or studs which were of a continuous con-` structioncoextensive in height with the wall.

The formation of plastered slabs against the exterior faces of removableforms has the distinguishing feature over the forming of walls bypouring against removable cores or molds in'that `a special type ofreinforcing. must be provided which is adapted to be incorporated in alayer of plastered material and is adapted to hold the. plasteredmaterial from slumping.

'1t is considered impossible to form by the pour'-v ing method, at onecontinuous operation, a struc# ture having the proportions of astructure that can be formed at one continuous operation by the methodherein described. Poured slabs contain air bubbles and water pocketswhich are not to be found in slabs formed bytroweling cementitiousmaterial against vertical form faces. Plastered slabs are generallyformed by a plurality of laterally applied layers in which a richer filmof cementitious material is brought to the surface of each layer,thereby producing slabs much less brittle and more resistant to shocksthan in a wall formed by the pouring method.

It is contemplated that features of this invention will be used in theconstruction of buildings where cementitious material is plastered onpermanent backing.

Although many of the important features of this invention relate to theuse of plastering methods, the invention includes features which are toapply to poured concrete work.

The term cementitious material is used to refer to any material in asoft state which is capable of hardening, or to any material which wasat one time in a soft state and has hardened. g

While I have described preferred forms of my invention, it is to beunderstood that the drawing and the description thereof are to beconsidered as illustrative of, rather than limitative upon, the broaderclaims because it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatchanges in method may be made without departing from the scope of myinvention.

`I claim:

l. The step in the method of making structures characterized by spacedcementitious slabs which consists in erecting two sheets of foraminousmaterial for reinforcing the slabs, maintaining the sheets of foraminousmaterial in a relatively denite spaced-apart relationship, thenproviding structure for transmitting substantial com-- pressivestresses, shearing stresses and tensile stresses from one of the slabsto the other by extending pre-formed slab-connecting memberstransversely through the space between the sheets of foraminous materialand establishing connection between the ends of said members and thesheets of foraminous material by exending end portions of said membersthrough the sheets of foraminous material.

2. The step in the method of making structures characterized by spacedcementitious slabs which consists in erecting two sheets of foraminousmaterial for reinforcing the slabs, maintaining the sheets of foraminousmaterial in a relatively denite spaced-apart relationship, thenproviding structure for transmitting substantial compressive stresses,shearing stresses and tensile stresses from one of the slabs to theother by extending pre-formed slab-connecting members transverselythrough the space between the sheets of foraminous material and intorelative positions corresponding to relative positions of web members ofa structural truss and establishing connection between the ends of saidmembers and the sheets of foraminous material and exposing end portionsof said members from the outer surfaces of the two sheets of foraminousmaterial by extending said end portions of said members through openingsin the sheets of foraminous material.

3. The step in the method of making structures characterized by spacedcementitious slabs which consists in erecting two foraminous sheets forreinforcing the slabs, maintaining the sheets in a relatively definitespaced-apart relationship, then, from points exteriorly of the twosheets, inserting pre-formed slab connecting members endwise through theside of one, at least, of the sheets, and establishing connectionbetween the ends of said members and the sheets by extending endportions of said members through the sheets.

4. A method of making walls characterized by two spaced cementitiousslabs that includes erecting two sheets of foraminous material toprovide one thereof in place to reinforce one of the slabs and the otherthereof in place to reinforce the other slab; then, from pointsexteriorly of the two sheets of foraminous material, insertingslabconnecting members endwise through and transversely with respect toone, at least, of the sheets of foraminous material and extending saidmembers through the space between the sheets of foraminous material andinto positions tov join l the slabs at spaced intervals; establishingconnection between the ends of said members and the sheets of foraminousmaterial and exposing end portions of said members from the outersurfaces of said two sheets of foraminous material by extending said endportions through the sheets of foraminous materials; applyingcementitious material over the sheets of foraminous material to formspaced wall slabs andembedding therein the end portions of said membersas the slabs are formed.

5. A method of making walls characterized by two spaced plastered slabsthat includes erecting `two sheets of foraminous material to provide onethereof in place to reinforce one of the slabs and the other thereof inplace to reinforce the other slab; providing backings on the sides ofthe sheets yof foraminous material facing each other and establishingtransversely alined vertical gaps in the backings; then, from pointsexteriorly of the two sheets of foraminous material and at points i :inalinement with said gaps, inserting both tension and compressionslab-connecting members endwise through and transversely with respect toIone, at least, of the sheets of foraminous mate- :rial and Vextending-said members through the` :space between the sheets of foraminousmaterial and into relative positions corresponding to relative positionsof web members of a vertical truss; Iestablishing connection between theends of said members and the sheets of foraminous material by extendingend portions of said members through the sheets of foraminous material;jplastering cementitious material over the sheets `of foraminousmaterial to form spaced wall slabs and embedding therein the endportions of said :members as the slabs are formed.

6. A method of making walls characterized by two spaced plastered slabsthat includes erecting two sheets of foraminous material to provide onethereof in place to reinforce one of the slabs andi'v 'the other thereofin place to reinforce the other slab; providing removable backings onthe sides `of the sheets of foraminousmaterial facing each `other andestablishing transversely alined vertical :gaps in the backings; then,from points exteriorly. lof the two sheets of foraminous material and atpoints in alinement with said gaps, inserting relatively long, thin,stiff slab-connecting members endwise through the side of one, at least,of the sheets of foraminous material and extending.

said members through the space between the sheets of foraminous materialand into positions to join the slabs at spaced intervals; establishingconnection between said members and the sheets -of foraminous materialby extending pre-formed, finger-like, projections of each of therespective ends of each of said members through respecltively differentopenings in an adjacent one of the sheets of foraminous material;troweling cementitious material against the outer sides of 150 the twosheets of foraminous material while exerting pressure against thecementitious material with the trowel to cause portions thereof to passthrough the foraminous material and to be firmly and evenly pressedagainst the faces of the backings to form relatively thin and uniformlyconstructed wall slabs having the foraminous material thoroughlyincorporated therein and embedding the end vportions of said members inthe slabs as the slabs are formed; allowing the ce- `mentitious materialto harden; and then removing the backings..

7. A method of making walls that includes pcsitioning the lowerextremities of two sheets of foraminous material in a pre-formed-groundtrench While maintaining the sheets of foraminous material substantiallyvertical and in a relatively definite spaced-apart relationship; then,from points exteriorly of the two sheets of foraminous material,plastering cementitious material over the sheets of foraminous materialto form spaced portions of walls and flowing portions of cementitiousmaterial into the trench exteriorly of the two sheets of foraminousmaterial to form outwardly flaring portions of cementitious materialintegral with the aforestated portions of walls at the lower extremitiesof the latter; and applying cementitious material in the trench betweenand into bonding engagement with the aforestated portions of walls toestablish a monolithic joinder between the latter.

8. A method of making walls that includes erecting a removable form in apre-formedground trench to provide substantially vertical and parallel,outwardly disposed form faces; positioning plaster-slab reinforcing oversaid faces with lower extremities thereof in the trench; plasteringcementitious material over the reinforcing to form spaced portions ofwalls against said faces and iiowing portions of cementitious materialinto the trenech exteriorly of the form to form outwardly flaringportions of walls at the lower extremities thereof; removing said form;and applying cementitious material in the trench between and intobonding engagement with the r' aforestated portions of walls toestablish a monolithic joinder between the latter.

9. rlhe steps in themethod of connectin'grtogether two spaced-apartpre-erected sheets of foraminous reinforcing material preparatory toembedding said sheets in separate spaced-apart slabs of cementitiousmaterial, comprising progressively extending metallic connecting membersthrough one of thesheets in a direction toward the other of the sheetsso as to dispose the respective ends of the members in positionscoincident with the respective sheets, and effecting an appliedconnection of said members with the sheets so as to expose theextremities thereof exteriorly of the sheets, as and for the purpose setv forth.

l0. The steps in the method of making structures characterized by spacedcementitious slabs which consists in erecting a sheetrof foraminousmaterial in place for reinforcing one ofthe slabs, erecting forms toprovide two outwardly disposed form faces with one thereof arrangedagainst one of said sheets, erecting a second sheet of foraminousmaterial against the other of said faces, joining both of theaforementioned sheets by extending slab-connecting members of lengthsapproximately equal to the thickness of the wall to be formed throughone of the sheets in a direction toward the other of the sheets so as todispose the respective ends of the members in 'positions adjacent to therespective sheets, and establishing connection between each end of eachof said members and an adjacent one of said sheets.

NEAL GARRETT.

